New Position for the Growing National SUD Nonprofit Organization
Lauren Lawson-Zilai has been appointed to senior director, media and public relations of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the U.S. She joins the organization in a new position to develop and implement a national communications and media strategy to advance public awareness of Shatterproof. In this role, Lawson-Zilai will position the organization and key leadership as thought leaders, garner awareness nationally and in key markets, and manage key partnerships with the media.
Lawson-Zilai joins Shatterproof after spending the past 15 years with Goodwill Industries International as head of public relations and as a spokesperson. In that role, she led strategic communications for North America’s leading nonprofit provider of education, training and career services for millions of people with disadvantages and disabilities. During her tenure, she launched Goodwill’s first influencer marketing program, which included notable engagements like the BeyGOOD campaign with Beyoncé as well as celebrity and ambassador relationships with PBS’ Matt Paxton, TODAY Show’s Evette Rios and Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. She also led the public relations for two long-running public service campaigns between Goodwill and the Ad Council, known as the “Bring Good Home” and “Donate Stuff, Create Jobs” campaigns. Within the last year, she was instrumental in launching Rising Together™, a unique initiative to equip 1 million people with sustainable careers by 2025 and securing partnerships with global philanthropic partners and Fortune 50 companies such as, Bank of America and Google.
“Lauren Lawson-Zilai is joining Shatterproof at a critical time as we see addiction and overdoses grow in our country. In 2021, there were nearly 108,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S.—the most ever recorded, and a 15% increase over 2020. This is in addition to the more than 99,000 Americans who died in 2020 from alcohol-related causes. Shatterproof is dedicated to ending the devastation caused by this disease, and its focus is on revolutionizing addiction treatment, ending stigma and shame, and educating and empowering communities,” shared Kirsten Suto Seckler, chief marketing and communications officer at Shatterproof. “Lauren will help make sure that more families across the country are aware of life-saving resources being developed by Shatterproof and she will help break down the stigma of addiction in our country.”
Lawson-Zilai has spent most of her career using marketing and communications to drive social change and impact and elevate the brand awareness of mission-driven nonprofit organizations in both paid and pro bono capacities. She was recently recognized as Ragan Communications’ Top Women in Communications. She is also a recipient of the Top Women in PR Award from PRNews and a Washington Women in Public Relations PR Woman of the Year (WWPR) honoree. She has received industry awards from the Association of Women in Communications, the Mobile Marketing Association, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and SMARTIES for her work. In addition, she served on the PRSA Voices4Everyone taskforce, which focused on inclusive, civil discourse through diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), civic engagement, and combating disinformation and civility, and steered the strategic direction of WWPR as part of its advisory council.
Lawson-Zilai is currently a member of the Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital Women’s Advisory Board, the Editorial Advisory Board for Ragan Communications and PR Daily, the National Press Club Communicators Committee, the Board of Advisors for the National Digital Roundtable and the President’s Leadership Council for Lycoming College, her alma mater.
About Shatterproof:
Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the U.S. Shatterproof harnesses the models of business, the rigor of science and the power of a national movement to create change and save lives through three pillars of work: revolutionizing the addiction treatment system, breaking down addiction-related stigmas and supporting and empowering our communities. Find Shatterproof on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube: @ShatterproofHQ or follow them on Instagram at @weareshatterproof. To learn more, visit www.Shatterproof.org.
